The Best Brands of Vegan Sustainable Cider

Dunkertons Organic Cider has been making cider for nearly 40 years using traditional skills. The fruit is pressed and fermented for up to a year, using apples from Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire. The range includes sweet and fresh ciders, Perry (made with pears) and canned and draught ciders.

Cider is simply made from fermented apple or pear juice, but some brands filter through isinglass (fish bladder), gelatine (bones) or casein (milk). There are better brands on the market.

For cans, always pop the ring-pulls back over the can, to stop wildlife getting trapped, before recycling. Never buy brands wrapped in plastic (these trap wildlife). If you see littered ones, rip up the holes and securely bin.

Dunkertons Organic Breakwells Seedling Cider is made with the historic apple, which first was discovered over 100 years ago in Monmouth. These small colourful apples give a lovely bitter-sharp flavour ideal for making cider. Ideal for summer evenings.

Donate Waste Apples (to make more cider!)

Why is scrumpy so popular in the West Country? Simply because it’s full of apple and pear orchards! The Orchard Project and Wasted Apple lists places where you can donate waste apples (leave some for the wildlife!) which are often turned into cider.

Apples are England’s most wasted fruit, with 800,000 (which could make 100,000 pints of cider) thrown away each day.

Vegan Cider from Two Herefordshire Farmers

Two Farmers Cider is a fruity cider made from locally-harvested strawberries, raspberries and blackcurrant, plus there is a no-alcohol version. Lovely to enjoy with tins of salt and vinegar crisps.

Bignose & Beardy (Sussex cider from waste apples)

Big Nose & Beardy turns waste apples in Sussex into a refreshing cider, that’s also vegan-friendly. The solar-powered brewery produces crisp ciders with strong floral notes, with everything fermented slowly for great taste.

This brand was started by two men who both had good jobs in London, and decided to move to the Sussex countryside. There the ‘out of control hobby’ of making cider has now become a successful business. They’ve even bought a local orchard, to help store local food in the community.

You can buy mixed packs and taster gifts, and even big boxes of cider with taps (ideal for parties and weddings, once popped, the cider lasts for a few weeks) and mulling kits.

Most of the apples come from around Sussex, and locals are often paid for what would otherwise rot on the ground. Bignose & Beardy supports apple growers and garden owners, bringing new income into the area.

Shandy Shack Raspberry Lagers and Ciders

If you fancy something fruity and different, Shandy Shack has released a lager and cider, both in refreshing fruity raspberry flavours.

Scrumpy (the history of West Country cider)

Scrumpy is the name given to rustic cider from the West Country, the name originating from ‘scrumped’ (stolen) apples. Windfall apples used to have more bruising and natural yeasts, which gave the strong flavour.

Years ago, farm workers were paid in cider (some receiving up to four pints a day!) And Captain Cook carried cider on his ships, to treat his crew for scurvy.

Scrumpy tends to be more cloudy and unfiltered than traditional cider (though this means it should not be consumed by anyone with weak immunity). It also has a high alcohol content, with some homemade versions particularly high, so most people just stick to good commercial brands.